Investigation of bisphenol A (BPA) effects on germination and development of wheat and chickpea

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical compound used in the production of various plastics. Its effects on health have been the subject of publications and scientific debate. The current study was carried out to reveal the effects of bisphenol A at various concentrations on seed germination and seedling development of wheat and chickpea plants. At the first step, seeds of wheat and chickpea were planted in sterile petri dishes and imbibed with 0, 1, 5, 10, 20, 40 and 50 mg L-1 Bisphenol A concentrations. Germination percentage, vigor index, radicle length, and plumula length were calculated. In the second step, the seeds were first germinated in sterile petri dishes, and seedlings were exposed to the same BPA concentrations. In addition to seedling development measurements, chlorophyll, carotenoid contents, and phenolic and flavonoid changes were analyzed. Stomatal aperture status in wheat seedlings was also monitored. The effect of BPA concentrations varied greatly depending on the plant species. Likewise, their effects on germination and development stages are highly variable. Root and stem lengths decreased due to increasing BPA concentrations. Regarding the effects of BPA on development, 40 and 50 mg L-1 concentration applications caused an increase in chlorophyll in wheat and a significant decrease in chickpea plants. Phenolic and flavonoid values showed differences depending on the application dose. It was noticed that their amounts increased significantly at concentrations higher than 20 mg L-1. The cadmium toxicity effect varied depending on the seed species and cadmium concentration. While 1 and 5 mg L-1 applications did not cause a negative effect on germination and development, it caused inhibitory effects at high concentrations. BPA concentration in nature is increasing day by day. These findings provide invaluable information on the underlying effects and concentration limit of BPA on crop growth.